Architectural rendering of McLennan Design ' s Antioch
Village project
Instead , he says it “ operates like a brain ,” with sensors all over the building that open and close windows , raise and lower shades , and turn up or dim the lights as needed . It ’ s naturally ventilated , and the heating only comes on if needed . Again evoking a flower , the building “ is trying to find the best conditions to be in .”
McLennan ’ s vision is catching on . In 2016 , he won ENR ’ s Award of Excellence for turning the Living Building Challenge into a global standard for sustainability in architecture . And the firm itself is no longer in any financially precarious state : McLennan Design with its 10 employees recently merged with Perkins & Will , which , with 2,400 employees , is the second largest architecture firm in the world . McLennan ’ s ultra-green ethos will be heard far and wide as he offers his consulting services to this juggernaut .
A case in point is his Bullitt Center , opened in 2013 in Seattle , Washington . The six-story office building is completely powered by solar energy ( no easy feat in the contiguous United States ’ dampest city ). On an annual basis , the building produces more energy than it consumes . Every one of the building ’ s bathrooms – from the sixth floor down to the bottom – has composting toilets that produce nutrients , with the structure not even connected to the municipal sewer system .
The Bullitt Center in
Seattle
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